Trump holds electoral vote in northern Maine
November 4, 2020President Donald Trump held Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, snagging an electoral vote from the blue state for the second time after out-running Joe Biden in the heavily white, working-class northern half of Maine.
Maine is one of two states, along with Nebraska, that allocate an electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district, along with two to the statewide popular vote winner. Trump easily won the 2nd District in 2016, beating Hillary Clinton by 10 percentage points in the vast region known for its thick woodlands, rugged coastlines and smaller towns.
It was the first time Maine had ever split its electoral votes, with the state and the more liberal 1st District going for Clinton. Until then, Democratic presidential candidates had carried the 2nd District for a quarter-century. Former President Barack Obama won it by 9 percentage points in 2012.
Leading up to this year’s election, Biden looked poised to once again carry the 1st District and the entire state for the Democrats, but the 2nd District was up for grabs, with Trump’s ratings among white voters deteriorating throughout his presidency. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden won the House seat in the 2nd District in the 2018 midterm elections.
But Trump visited the state to campaign in 2016 and went back again in 2020. On Oct. 25, Trump visited an orchard outside of Bangor, which came a few days after a stop in the district by Vice President Mike Pence.
On Tuesday night, Biden captured the 2nd Congressional District in Nebraska, splitting the electoral votes in that state and highlighting how his coalition diverges from Trump's. Biden ran up the score in the suburbs of major metro areas around the country in 2020, while Trump has drawn great strength from smaller towns and rural areas.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
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